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August 14, 2012

Carrot Top & Almond Pesto

I had in the back of my mind that carrot tops (the greens) are edible, but I'd never used them. When my mom brought some beautiful carrots home from the farmer's market and chopped the greens off last week, I grabbed them and put them in a jar of water, exclaiming that I planned to use them. The next day I got around to checking recipes out online. I didn't look long - I really just wanted to see if you could actually eat carrot tops.

You can. And they are super good for you (high in potassium). I didn't see any recipes that I wanted to use in the three seconds I spent looking and marched into the kitchen determined to make a make-shift dip. What a treat it turned out to be! I thought the greens would be a tad bitter and was planning to even the dip out with some honey - but they were perfect on their own. No sweetening needed. This recipe makes a really delicious and nutritious dip to use on sandwiches, as a pesto with pasta, a sauce with rice, or as a dip for crackers. We devoured this marvelous vegan, raw wonder with enthusiasm.

Makes 1.5 cups

Does not save well - might freeze better, but we didn't test it. Best if eaten the same day.

1 bunch carrot tops

1 cup ground almonds

1/4 tsp freshly ground sea salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons favorite balsamic vinegar (I used 18-year mango)

Roughly chop your greens.

Process everything together in a food processor until well ground. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired. Would be good with some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.